I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to electronics, and more specifically to an amplifier.
II. Background
Amplifiers are commonly used in various electronics devices to provide signal amplification. Different types of amplifiers are available for different uses. For example, a wireless communication device such as a cellular phone may include a transmitter and a receiver for bi-directional communication. The transmitter may utilize a driver amplifier (DA) and a power amplifier (PA), the receiver may utilize a low noise amplifier (LNA), and the transmitter and receiver may utilize variable gain amplifiers (VGAs).
Sub-micron complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication processes are commonly used for radio frequency (RF) circuits in wireless devices and other electronics devices in order to reduce cost and improve integration. As CMOS device size continues to shrink, sub-micron transistors are more and more susceptible to stress under large signal swing conditions. The stress may adversely impact the reliability of amplifiers implemented with these sub-micron transistors. An amplifier with good performance and good reliability is highly desirable.